---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 04:45:17 -0400 From: WWF Conservation Action Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Alan Sondheim <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Thanks for taking action
Dear Alan, Thank you for urging your representative to cosponsor the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2005. You can make a huge difference by taking a few seconds to urge your friends to take this action as well. See the suggested text, below. Sincerely, Bob Irvin Director U.S. Ecoregional Conservation World Wildlife Fund ****TEXT TO SEND TO YOUR FRIENDS***** Dear Friends: I just used World Wildlife Fund's free Conservation Action Network to help protect America's threatened national forest roadless areas. I urge you to take action, too. You may have heard the bad news recently that the Bush administration has thrown out a 2001 rule protecting America's 58.5 million acres of national forest roadless areas and substituted a plan that will likely result in millions of acres of wild forestland being opened up to energy development and logging. Here's something positive you can do in response: show your support for legislation that would make the Roadless Conservation Rule of 2001 a law. Roadless areas include many of the country's last great wildlands and are home to some of our most magnificent wildlife, including bald eagles, grizzly bears, gray wolves, elk, and salmon. These areas protect freshwater supplies for local communities, provide recreational opportunities, and serve countless other purposes. Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) will soon be introducing legislation to make the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule a law. They are seeking other members of Congress to be original cosponsors of the measure. To learn more and send a letter to your representative in Congress, go to the Conservation Action Network at http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=26419. Please ask your friends to take this action also. Thanks! *************************************************** Your message below was sent to: Representative Major R. Owens Representative Major R. Owens United States House of Representatives 2309 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2478 Dear Representative Owens, I urge you to be an original cosponsor of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2005, bipartisan legislation to be introduced soon by Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) that would codify the Roadless Area Conservation Rule promulgated in early 2001. This legislation is more urgently needed than ever. In early May, the Bush administration repealed the 2001 Roadless Conservation Rule and set in place its own process, which requires governors to petition the Agriculture Department for protection of roadless areas in their states. The end result is likely to be that millions of acres of wild forestland are opened to energy development and logging. If you have already agreed to support this important legislation, thank you for recognizing the value of protecting our nation's roadless areas. The American public has long made known its strong support for roadless areas. The vast majority of the 4.2 million comments the Forest Service received during its 2004 comment period on the Roadless Rule called for a strong protection plan. Roadless areas in our national forests are vital resources that must be protected. They provide refuge for wildlife, reservoirs for plant life, and protection for freshwater supplies for local communities. Sadly, more than two-thirds of the national forest system is crisscrossed by 380,000 miles of roads (enough to circle the planet more than 16 times) that break up habitat, cause soil erosion, and leave fragmented stands of timber vulnerable to disease. The Forest Service estimates that without the Roadless Rule, Americans could lose as many as 6 million acres of roadless forestland over the next 20 years. Please do all you can to support the Boehlert/Inslee National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act. Sincerely, Alan Sondheim 432 Dean St Brooklyn, NY 11217-2011 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
